Chapter 20

After few hours....

"It's stunning, Minji. You really have a gift. These plants look happier with you than they ever did in their collective nursery. It's like they know you care." She traced a finger along a smooth, unglazed pot, its terracotta surface still cool to the touch from the morning air. "Unlike my attempts at plant parenthood, which usually end in a sad,

"It's selective watering, or lack thereof. And probably too much direct sun for the ones that prefer shade, and not enough for the ones that crave it. It's a delicate balance, you know. Like life." She winked, a playful glint in her eye. Minji often saw metaphors for life in her plants, a quiet wisdom she imparted to her friends, sometimes to Jiah's amused eye-rolls, but always with a underlying appreciation for the sincerity.

"You need to see this video, Minji. It's gone absolutely viral back home, and it's spreading like wildfire here too."

Minji, ever curious about the digital world Jiah inhabited more fluently, paused her watering. "Oh? Another one of those ridiculous dance challenges? Or a new ASMR trend involving slurping noodles really loudly?" She knew Jiah spent a considerable amount of time scrolling through social media, a stark contrast to Minji's hands-on, earth-bound existence. Yet, they found common ground in their shared laughter and affection.

Jiah shook her head, a wide grin spreading across her face, mirroring the one already forming on Minji's. "No, no, nothing so… mundane. This is next level. It's an AI-generated cat video. But not just any AI cat. This one is… sad." She paused for dramatic effect, then added, "And it has the most hilariously mournful 'meow meow' background music you've ever heard. It's trending everywhere. People are obsessed with how oddly touching and utterly ludicrous it is at the same time."

Minji's eyebrows shot up. "An AI cat? Sad? With 'meow meow' music? Jiah, you're making that up. That sounds like something from a fever dream after too much ramune soda." But even as she spoke, her curiosity was piqued. The juxtaposition of "AI" and "sad cat" was inherently amusing.

"No, I swear!" Jiah insisted, her fingers already flying across her phone screen. She found the video with impressive speed, her thumb scrolling effortlessly through a library of memes and clips. "Here. Look at this masterpiece of digital emotion." She held out the phone, angling the screen so Minji could see it clearly in the dappled morning light.

Minji leaned in, her eyes squinting slightly as she focused on the small screen. The video began with a surprisingly realistic, yet subtly artificial, rendering of a ginger tabby cat. Its fur seemed too perfectly aligned, its whiskers too symmetrical, its eyes, large and a vivid emerald green, held an expression that mimicked profound sorrow. The cat was sitting by a digital window, looking out at a blurry, rain-streaked cityscape that was clearly not real, but a stylistic approximation.

And then, the sound. Oh, the sound. A low, melancholic "meow… meow… meow…" repeated in a loop, not quite like a real cat, but a synthesized, almost operatic interpretation of a cat's lament. It was simultaneously poignant and utterly, utterly ridiculous. The "meow meow" wasn't just a simple cry; it was layered with a slight echo, a reverb that suggested infinite sadness, an AI attempting to convey the depth of feline despair. The cat's head was slightly bowed, its digital shoulders appearing to slump, conveying a sense of profound dejection. Every now and then, the AI cat would release a slow, drawn-out sigh, a sound that was somehow both hilarious and genuinely a little bit unsettling in its accurate mimicry of human grief, yet coming from a computer-generated furball.

A small trickle of laughter escaped Minji first, a quiet, almost disbelieving sound. It started in her throat, a little gurgle, then grew as she stared at the screen, her eyes wide with a mixture of amusement and bewilderment. "Oh my god," she whispered, her voice laced with mirth. "Jiah, what even is this?"

Jiah, who had been watching Minji's face, holding back her own laughter, finally let loose. A loud, uninhibited peal of laughter erupted from her, startling a pair of sparrows perched on a nearby power line. Her shoulders shook, her free hand coming up to cover her mouth, though it did little to contain the joyful noise. "I told you! It's ridiculous, right? It's magnificent! The sheer audacity of it!"

Minji was now laughing harder, a delighted peal that mingled with Jiah's. She took a step back from the phone, clutching her stomach with one hand, a splash of water from the turtle-shaped watering can falling unnoticed onto her apron. The absurd tragedy of the AI cat, combined with the utterly earnest but nonsensical "meow meow" soundtrack, was just too much. It was the kind of internet phenomenon that defied logic, bypassed all critical thought, and went straight for the funny bone. The AI cat's digital eyes seemed to well up with tiny, perfectly rendered digital tears, which then slowly, dramatically, rolled down its pixelated cheeks. This detail, more than anything, sent Minji into a fresh paroxysm of giggles.

"The tears!" Minji choked out, pointing a trembling finger at the screen. "It's crying actual tears! An AI! For what, a lost Wi-Fi connection? A corrupted data file? Oh, this is too much!" Her laughter was infectious, bubbling up from deep within her, shaking her entire frame. She leaned against the wooden post of her stall, bracing herself, tears now starting to well in her own eyes, not from sadness, but from unchecked hilarity.

Jiah, equally undone, was wiping away tears of mirth that streamed down her face. She was practically doubled over, gasping for breath between bouts of raucous laughter. "Right? And the way it just sits there, so utterly… despondent! You just want to give it a digital hug and tell it everything's going to be okay, even though it's literally just lines of code pretending to be sad!" Her voice was hoarse with laughter, her words punctuated by snorts and happy, wheezing sounds. "The internet is a magical, terrifying place."

"And the 'meow meow' background!" Minji gasped out, trying to mimic the mournful sound, but it only dissolved into more giggles. "It's like the AI tried to understand cat-sadness and just… synthesized the most basic, yet profound, essence of it. It's so earnest in its attempt! That's what makes it so funny!" She pressed her hand against her aching side, her chest heaving. "My stomach hurts, Jiah. My muscles are cramping!"

Jiah, regaining a semblance of composure, though still prone to bursts of uncontrolled laughter, straightened up, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Mine too. It's surprisingly cathartic, isn't it? Just pure, unadulterated absurdity. No deep meaning, no hidden message, just a sad AI cat and its existential 'meow meow'." She scrolled past the video, but the image and sound were burned into their minds, ready to resurface at the slightest provocation.

She swiped to the comments section, her voice choked with mirth. "But the comments, Minji! This is where the true art lies!"

The comments section scrolled by, a stream of pure, unadulterated internet gold.

"My therapist told me I need to confront my feelings. This cat just did it for me." "Is this how my cat feels when I don't give her the entire bag of treats?" "I've seen less convincing acting in Oscar-winning films." "This cat needs a hug and maybe a small loan." "Forget therapy, just watch this and embrace the void." "The meow at 0:47 cured my chronic cynicism." "My actual cat just looked at me with concern, like 'Are you okay, human? Why are you laughing at our suffering?'" "I'm pretty sure this cat single-handedly invented a new genre of digital opera." "I showed this to my dog. He immediately brought me his favorite squeaky toy, like 'There, there, human, it'll be okay.'" "I thought my life was sad. Then I saw this cat." "If I don't get this cat a digital blanket right now, I might actually cry."

Minji, tears streaming down her face from laughing so hard, slumped against a shelf of miniature bonsai trees. "Oh, the comments! 'Cured my chronic cynicism' – that's brilliant! And 'digital opera'! My sides hurt, Jiah, this is cruel." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, only to start laughing again. "It's the meows! They're so… guttural! Like it's been through 17 cat divorces and lost everything in the settlements."

"Seventeen cat divorces, Minji, that's beautiful!" Jiah roared, leaning against Minji for support, their laughter echoing through the quiet shop, startling a small bird nesting in the eaves. "And the 'meow meow' background just elevates it to high art! It's like the Mona Lisa of internet despair, but with fur and existential dread."

They fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments, still smiling, the echoes of their laughter lingering in the air. The sounds of Tokyo began to pick up – more distant traffic, the gentle clatter of a restaurant preparing for lunch, the buzz of an air conditioner kicking in nearby. The sun was indeed climbing higher, its rays beginning to penetrate the alleyway with more intensity. A bead of sweat trickled down Minji's temple, and she unconsciously wiped it away with the back of her hand.

Just then, a voice, bright and cheerful, cut through the humid air. "What's all this racket? I could hear you two cackling from the third floor! You sound like a pair of hyenas who just discovered a new species of edible laughter!"

"Ah, the cavalry arrives!" Jiah exclaimed, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the drinks. "Just in time. My throat is parched from all the emotional turmoil of a poor, sad AI cat."

"Lily brings cold drink"

She handed a glass to Jiah, then one to Minji. "I figured. Laughter like that usually leads to dehydration. Especially in this weather. It's Yuzu and mint iced tea. Super refreshing."

The drinks were heavenly. The tartness of the yuzu, the subtle coolness of the mint, and the immediate icy shock against their parched throats were a revelation. Minji sighed in pure contentment, taking a long, grateful gulp. "Lily, you are a lifesaver. You always know exactly what we need."

"It's a special talent," Lily replied, taking a sip from her own glass, her eyes twinkling. "Now, spill. What cosmic joke?

Jiah show her the video., Lily

Minji, still recovering from her own giggling fit, retrieved Jiah's phone and, with a renewed sense of anticipation, replayed the "AI cat sad video meow meow background trending on internet." Lily watched, her expression slowly shifting from curious amusement to outright bewilderment, and then, inevitably, to uncontrollable laughter.

"Oh… my… god," Lily managed to gasp out between peals of laughter, clutching her chest. "The 'meow meow'! It's so… earnest! And the tears! Why is it crying?!"

"Exactly!" Jiah and Minji said in unison, then burst into fresh peals of laughter themselves, fueled by Lily's reaction and the renewed viewing of the absurd video.

Once their collective gasps of laughter had subsided, leaving them all breathless and slightly damp from sweat and tears, the three friends settled into a comfortable, easy conversation, the cold drinks providing a welcome respite from the oppressive summer heat.

"Ryo being Ryo living in his own world.

Minji hadn't seen Ryo for few days...

She is doing her own business working and she connecting with friends and family with loves, laugh and caring.."